If you’ve ever set a goal that sounded ambitious but never quite landed, you’re not alone. One of the biggest challenges with OKRs is writing them well enough to shape actual behaviour. An OKR should focus not just on top-level attention, but also be structured in a way that guides how teams work and links them to something more meaningful.
But too often, OKRs end up either too vague to be useful or so detailed they become glorified task lists. The sweet spot is somewhere in between. Clear, outcome-focused, and directional enough to influence action without dictating it.
With years of experience creating and accelerating outcomes through OKRs, we’ve put together a short list of the starter information you should be building into your OKRs, along with OKR examples to help bring it to life in a practical way.
What makes a useful OKR?
Before diving into OKR examples, it’s worth focusing on the fundamentals. A good OKR has:
- An objective that’s qualitative, directional and motivating
- Key results that are specific, measurable and signal progress
You can write OKRs at different levels: company-wide, cross-functional or team-specific. The examples below show how each level can build towards strategic outcomes.
Company-Level Example: Scaling to a New Market
Objective: Expand our presence in the Northern region
Key Results:
- Launch operations in 3 new cities by Q4
- Achieve £1.2m in new regional revenue
- Increase brand awareness score by 20% in the region
Why it works: This OKR reflects a strategic move and provides clarity on what progress looks like. The results aren’t just about doing things; they measure whether those things had an impact.
Team-Level Example: Improving Customer Experience
Objective: Reduce friction in the onboarding journey
Key Results:
- Decrease onboarding support tickets by 40%
- Improve first-week activation rate from 55% to 75%
- Launch redesigned onboarding sequence with customer feedback built in
Why it works: This OKR links a clear business priority with tangible changes. It avoids fluff like “deliver great experiences” and instead focuses on what improvement looks like and how it will be measured.
Cross-Functional Example: Enhancing Sales and Marketing Alignment
Objective: Strengthen lead quality through better campaign targeting
Key Results:
- Increase MQL to SQL conversion rate from 30% to 45%
- Co-create 3 targeted campaigns with sales involvement
- Reduce average lead qualification time to under 3 days
Why it works: This OKR highlights joint accountability. It’s also a good example of how OKRs can support collaboration without becoming team-specific task trackers.
What to avoid when writing OKRs
Not all OKRs are created equal. Watch out for:
- Tasks disguised as results: “Create 10 blog posts” isn’t an impact
- Too many OKRs at once: Focus creates results, volume dilutes it; we recommend three to four key results per objective
- Vague measurement: “Improve culture” or “Enhance satisfaction” with no numbers attached gives no clear signal of progress
If you’re stuck, we have plenty of useful OKR tools and guides that can support you at whatever stage you’re at.
Need Help Getting Started?
OKRs are only effective if they’re anchored to a bigger picture. That’s why we’ve created a free OKR Implementation Guide, packed with practical advice from leading experts. If you’re building OKRs for the first time or refining your approach, it’s worth a read.
Good OKRs change how your organisation works by shifting the focus from measuring effort to measuring contribution. When done well, they create focus, connect teams to strategy, and help you prioritise what really matters.
If you’d like support aligning OKRs to your strategy or shaping a better performance rhythm, talk to one of our goal setting experts. Our team at There Be Giants works with ambitious organisations looking to accelerate business outcomes.